Change of Hearts
by UchiHime
Summary: AU Ichigo is a troubled teen that won't stay off the streets. Byakuya is the director of a program designed to get troubled teens off the streets. When Ichigo fails the progam again Byakuya is determined to save him. ByaIchi, smut in later chapter
1. Breaking News

Edited on 7/12/2010

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**Prologue: Breaking News**

"_Hello everyone welcome to Rangiku's Rambles; I'm your hostess Rangiku Matsumoto, thank you all for tuning in." The busty blonde smiled at the camera before rushing on, "Joining us today is a special guest who does wonderful things for our 'at-times-not-so-wonderful' teens. We all know about the Change of Hearts Program at the local Karakura Town Community Recreation Center. This wonderful program is designed to get troubled teens off the streets. The center has won numerous awards for the deeds they have done. They are a true asset to the community with a list of success stories that go on for miles." Rangiku seemed genuinely excited about all of this; if she smiled any wider her face would split in half._

"_Joining us today," she continued, "is one such success story who also happens to be the new director of the Change of Hearts program. Please join me in welcoming mister Byakuya Kuchiki!" _

_The studio audience all began to applaud as a tall man with ink black hair and serious looking grey eyes walked onto the stage. He shook hands with the hostess before taking a seat on the cushy looking couch on the stage. _

_Rangiku's smile somehow managed to grow bigger as she greeted the man. "Welcome Byakuya, do you mind if I call you Byakuya, welcome to my show. May I say that I am personally glad to have you here? It's just so great all the wonderful things you do for the kids that come into the center."_

"_Thank you Matsumoto-san, but I haven't really done anything just yet." Byakuya's baritone voice rang through the studio, "I just took over as director of the program, but I do have a lot of things planned for the future of the Change of Hearts program."_

"_Hopefully you're not planning to change too much, the program is wonderful just the way it is."_

"_Of course not, Matsumoto-san,"_

"_Please call me Rangiku." The hostess cut in._

_Byakuya nodded. "As I was saying, Ran-giku," he seemed to have a problem getting the woman's given name to escape his mouth, "I wouldn't dream of making major changes to the program; it's amazingly successful as it is. In fact I won't be changing any of the program set right now. I'll just be adding to the current program."_

_Rangiku nodded. "Won't that be just wonderful?" she asked the audience who all clapped their approval. "So tell us Byakuya," Rangiku said once the applause stopped, "Why did you choose to take over as director of the program?"_

"_Well as you said before, I'm one of the center's success stories," Byakuya said his voice carrying a tone of forced formality that hadn't been present before. "I wasn't exactly one of the better behaved kids in my youth. I made some bad choices, some big mistakes. Then after a certain event I suddenly realize the weight of the things I did and I wanted out. The Center offered me that way out and saved me. I owe the Center my life, so when I heard that the former director was sick and retiring I figured it my duty to repay my debt to the center, especially since the former director was a good friend of mine and approved of me succeeding him."_

_Rangiku nodded excitedly. "You mentioned before that you'll be adding to the current program. Care to elaborate on that?"_

"_Of course, the way I see it, the Center does have a lot of success stories, but not all_"_

"You've been in here for half an hour, if you're not going to order anything then please leave."

Ichigo looked up at the stern faced man standing in front of him. He raised one eyebrow and glared at him challengingly. "Who said I wasn't going to order anything. I could have just been having a hard time making up my mind."

The man's eyes narrowed as he looked the teen over, Ichigo was wearing a pair of black jeans and a graphic tee, his bright orange hair was poorly kept and all over his head, his tennis shoes were dirty and ragged beyond the point of saving. "Humph," the man sniffed, "I know when people are going to order anything or not and you're definitely not. Leave and don't come back till you have actual money in your pockets and not just lint."

"Whatever." Ichigo stood and stuffed his hands in his, admittedly empty, pockets and strode towards the door. It wasn't like he actually wanted to spend his day onside that stuffy old coffee shop anyway. He'd only come in to see what was on the TV. And what was on wasn't even interesting. He knew all about the stupid Change of Hearts Program at the stupid Community Center, earlier that day he had dropped out of the program for the seventh time.

Well he hadn't actually dropped out of the program seven times, but he had been in it seven times. A few times he had actually made it through the entire program, not that it was any help since he was always back on the streets a week or so later. Staying home and playing family just wasn't for him. No matter how many times he'd tried to escape, the streets still called to him.

The stupid people at the center had given up on "saving" him, his stupid father had given up on him going back to the way things were, and his stupid teachers had given up on him returning to class and being one of their best students like had was before. The whole stupid world had given up on him. But Ichigo didn't care, because he had given up on his own stupid self. He tried to return to the way things had been, but there was something barring him from doing so, he was stuck as he was now with no way to return to the way things had been in the past. Ichigo Kurosaki thought himself to be a failure. He failed every time he went through the stupid program at the stupid center. He failed his family every time he failed the program. And he failed himself every time he failed his father. He was a failure, just like when he failed at saving-

Ichigo angrily kicked a small rock that was on the sidewalk, not wanting to dwell on the thoughts haunting his mind at that moment. He huffed and he burrowed his hand's further down into his pockets. It was late November and chilly out, his thin tee-shirt did nothing to block out the wind despite its dark color.

He scowled. He was going to freeze out here and his stupid pride wouldn't let him go home and get a the winter coat he knew would be hanging in the front closet waiting for him, or even the jacket he knew was laying across his bed. He didn't want to enter his father's house once again a failure. He had swore to himself the last time he had left the house knowing he was about to return to running the streets that he would never return to the family house again unless he was ready to go back to being part of the family again and this time stay a part of the family forever. Ichigo may have been a "troubled teen" but he was a man of his word. He wasn't going back unless things were normal again.

So where did that leave him? Out wandering the streets without a jacket on a chilly November night, probably going to freeze to death before he ever made it home. He wished he did have more in his pockets than just lint, that way he could at least buy himself a coat or jacket, but without a job there was no money coming his way. He knew that stealing was always an option, but he would not lower himself to petty crimes, he did have his standards. Getting one of the free coats donated to the Center was also a no, it was bad enough he relied on their free meal program for sustenance, he wasn't about to take another handout from them, especially since he'd taken to sleeping on a cot in their gym along with a bunch of other street kids so as not to freeze during the cold winter nights.

Ichigo shivered as a breeze blew, ruffling his hair and cutting through his shirt to freeze him right to the bones. A rumble in his stomach told him it was dinner time. He sniffled and looked up. The lights of the Karakura Town Community Recreation Center were right in front of him, beckoning to him, promising him food and a warm place to sleep. His hands pushed down in his pockets as he headed towards the lights.


	2. Another Try

Edited on 7/12/2010

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**Chapter 1: Another Try**

"Hey, are you coming in or not?"

Ichigo looked up at the boy questioning him, Renji Abarai stood by the door of the Community Center, holding it open, allowing a burst of warm air to escape the building and make Ichigo realize just how cold he was. It was December first and the weather was brutal. Ichigo wore only a thin jacket and his usual attire of jeans and a dark colored tee-shirt. The jacket was a bit tight on him because he'd borrowed it from his friend Mizuiro and the other boy was much smaller than him.

Ichigo shook his head. "Nah, I'd rather not," he said. "If I go in there, they'll just start talking about the Change of Hearts program thinking it'll convince me to rejoin it. Or worse, they won't say anything but they'll stare at me like I'm the biggest disappointment known to man. I can't put myself through that. It's bad enough I have to go through it at meals and bedtime; I'm not going through it unnecessarily."

Renji let the door swing closed, robbing Ichigo of the small amount of heat he was reveling in. "Come on, Ichigo," Renji said, "It wouldn't kill you to enroll in the program one more time. Besides I really want you here with me for this. It's a great occasion."

Ichigo sniffed. "A great occasion would be graduating from high school; you're just graduating from a stupid program at a stupid Community Center. I'm not going."

This had been the second time Renji had been through the Change of Hearts Program. The first time he'd dropped out half way through, but this time he made it all the way to the end and the Community Center was throwing a celebratory dinner, not just for Renji but for everyone who graduated from the current group of kids in the program. Ichigo had never attended one of the dinners because they had been added after he'd given up on the program's ability to 'save' him. It was a celebration that the new director had added as incentive to complete the program.

"Whatever, suit yourself, just don't come crying to me when you freeze to death."

Ichigo rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Whatever," he agreed. As the other male turned to enter the building Ichigo stopped him, "Renji."

"Huh?" the boy with bright red hair asked turning back around to his friend.

"I just wanted you to know, I'm proud of you," Ichigo said in a low voice. "I always hoped you would get off the streets; I knew you could make it through the program if you put your mind to it. Congratulations."

"What's this Kurosaki?" Renji teased, "Going soft on me? Sure you're Ichigo?"

"Of course I'm Ichigo," the orange haired boy growled. "Just know that if I ever catch you back out here up to your old acts I won't hesitate to kick your ass."

Renji grinned. "That's the Strawberry I know. I'm holding you to your word."

"Whatever Pineapple, don't you have a celebration to get to? Do me a favor, bring me out something to eat, I didn't get dinner."

"I'll see." That said Renji disappeared into the building, leaving Ichigo sitting outside.

Ichigo really was proud of his friend. Renji and he had met at the Canter a few months before and immediately became friends. Both of them had been on the streets for a while and thought the entire world was against them. But Renji's situation was completely different from Ichigo's. Renji was an orphan that grew up in a foster home from the time he was six. He talked fondly of his foster parents and the other kids in the home, there had been a lot over the years and that sole fact was enough to make Renji feel unwanted. He'd been in the foster home for ten years and no one ever wanted to adopt him. Other kids came and went, but he just stayed there. No one wanted him. His foster parent's didn't seem to mind having him around at first, the first few times he'd seen other kids being adopted before him they would tell him it would be ok and someone would come for him soon. But no one ever did.

Renji had felt rejected in his foster home and had turned to the streets for the acceptance he had always wanted. But even on the streets he couldn't help but long for something more. Ichigo had known immediately that what Renji wanted was what the boy had left behind, but who was Ichigo to tell him that when Ichigo himself was running from what he most needed. No, Renji had to figure out for himself that the place he belonged wasn't on the streets, but back in his foster home with his foster parents.

The first time Renji had entered the program, Ichigo didn't let on how much he wanted the other to succeed, when Renji had dropped out he had joked it off as if he didn't care. He hadn't wanted to sound like a hypocrite since it was no secret that Ichigo repeatedly dropped out of the program.

The second time Renji entered the program, Ichigo made it clear that if Renji dropped out again he was on his own. Renji was his friend; he felt the need to save the boy from the very mistakes he was making himself. Making him stay in the program had done just that. Ichigo knew, or at least hoped with all his might, that once Renji went back to his house he would never return to running the streets. Ichigo had, indirectly, saved Renji. But who was going to save Ichigo?

"You're going to freeze if you stay out here."

Ichigo was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of a dull baritone voice echoing through the night air. He turned and looked into a vaguely familiar face with piercing gunmetal grey eyes and hair as black as the night itself. It took a moment for Ichigo to place exactly where he had seen the man before, his eyes narrowed into a look somewhat akin to a glare, but not carrying as much menace. "Rather I freeze or not has nothing to do with you, Byakuya."

The man tilted his head to the side as if to get a better look at the boy with the sharp tongue. "Have we met before?" he asked. "I don't know your name, so how is it that you know mine?"

"No we haven't met," Ichigo replied, "but everyone knows the new director of the Change of Hearts program."

"Are you one of the kids who have enrolled in the program?"

This time Ichigo's glare carried all the menace that was absent in it the first time. "I'm never enrolling in that stupid program again. It's a pointless waste of time."

Byakuya's eyes that had once looked at Ichigo curiously and calculating narrowed and hardened. "To you it may be a pointless waste of time, but I'm sure the kids that have this 'waste of time' to thank for their lives would beg to differ. That 'stupid program' has saved more kids than you can count from ending up hurt, dead, or on the wrong side of the law. I doubt they think it was a waste of time at all."

"Save me the success tale. I've heard it all before. Sure it's saved a lot of kids but it failed just as many. Your stupid program doesn't save everyone. It never saved me, and it never saved-." Ichigo cut himself off from saying the last part of the sentence. "Excuse me," he mumbled as he pushed passed Byakuya and fled down the street. Behind him he could hear the door opening to the center and Renji's voice calling out his name.

But he cared not about that as he ran away, all he could hear and see in his mind was the face of a girl, her voice low and guarded as she hesitantly let Ichigo close enough to call her friend.

::-::

"Hey Ichi, over here." Ichigo looked around the cafeteria area of the Center for the voice calling his name. It was easy to spot who was waving him over since the place wasn't as crowded as it used to be, seeing as how early it was and the fact that about ten kids had "graduated" the night before.

Ichigo made his way over to the table where the group had called out to him; their usually full table was practically empty as well. "Hey Ikkaku, Yumichika, where's Shuuhei?"

"He went to sign up for the program," Yumichika said in his usual airy tone, his eyes locked on the compact mirror in his hand. Ichigo had always thought that the other, more feminine, boy was too concerned with his looks to be a street kid.

"I heard Renji graduated last night," Ikkaku said. "That's good for him, but I wonder how long it'll be until he's back out here with us."

Ichigo gave Ikkaku a look that said, say that again and die a painful death. "He bet' not ever end up back here with us or I'll kick his ass. When are you two going to enter the program anyway?"

Yumichika closed his compact and turned to look at Ichigo. "For someone so against the Change of Hearts program, you're sure eager to stuff us in it."

Ichigo glared at the dark haired teen. "I never said I was against the program, I just said it can't do anything for me. I never doubted its ability to save anyone else."

"Are you really so eager to be rid of us Ichi?" Ikkaku asked.

"Shut up chrome dome, you know it's not like that."

Yumichika rolled his eyes. "Yes, we know, you don't think we belong out here on the streets, it's not suited for us. But what if we were to tell you the exact same thing? You're always nagging us about entering the program or returning home in our own right, but what if we refuse to go unless you're going with us."

"We all know we don't belong out here Ichi, but you don't belong out here either. You may have coaxed Renji into the program and back home, and sure Shuuhei followed his lead, but we're not leaving you out here to fiend for yourself. We ain't going anywhere without you. You've practically been taking care of us since we came out here. You made us into a family that can hold our own in a world that's completely against us. You've had our backs from day one. We ain't leaving you out here if you got no one to watch your back."

Ichigo sighed. "So if I enter the program again, you two will enter with me?"

Yumichika nodded. "That's the gist of it. Renji had wanted to stay with you, too, but we convinced him it would be wise for at least one of us to get off the streets first."

Ichigo grumbled under his breath before finally conceding: "Fine. I'll do it. I'll enter the stupid program."

"Yes!" Ikkaku cheered."Atta boy, Ichi!"

"Hurry up and finish eating," Yumichika said, "The introduction meeting starts in ten minutes. Shuuhei already put out names on the roster."

"You bastards had this all planned out." Ichigo stared at his friends in disbelief. "Incredible, I don't believe this."

Ikkaku just smirked and Yumichika went back to looking at himself in his compact.

::-::

"Hello everyone, my name is Jyushiro Ukitake and I'm one of the founders and former director of the Change of Hearts program. I want to thank you all for putting forth the effort to attend this meeting. Just by coming here today you all show you're ready and willing to do whatever it takes to return home. Before we start I would like to you all some brief history on the Change of Hearts program."

Ukitake, a man who looked quite young despite his completely white hair, smiled at the assembled group of teens before continuing his speech. "I started this program ten years ago when I was just out of collage. I grew up in this town but attended collage in Tokyo. When I returned here with my degree in business management I was surprised by the number of teens I saw on the streets. A friend of mine, who was quite a few years younger than me, was one of those teens. His name was Kaien and he came from a decent family, so I was surprised to find that he was now a street kid.

"Kaien had always been a good boy, carefree and fun loving, without a worry in the world. I wondered what had changed from the time I was away to the time I came back, so I sat down with him to ask what happened and beg him to return home. He explained to me that things were different now and that even if he wanted to go home, he doubted his ability to do so. I told him I would help in any way possible. Together he and I did whatever it took to get him off the streets and he returned home to his family.

"But Kaien felt guilty that he escaped the streets, but had left the people he'd come to know as his friends behind. He wanted to find a way to save all the teens on the streets living the way he had at one point and he wanted my help to do so. Together we graphed a program that would save troubled teens from the streets and get them back where they belonged, we went to the head of this Community Center with our plan and they approved it. Our first group only had three teens in it, but we never gave up.

Five years later, after saving more kids than he had ever dreamed of, Kaien died in act of trying to save one of the program kids from being attacked by a gang. As co-founder of the program, I carried on with it in his memory."

Ukitake's eyes shone with a kind of sadness as he completed his story. "Now I'm sick and had to retire as director of this program, but I happily hand over my title to the new director, another close friend of mine, Byakuya Kuchiki. Ten years ago, Byakuya was one of the three that entered the program. He is one of our very first success stories and I am very proud of him." The white haired man stopped talking long enough to let out a very sickly sound cough.

Ichigo watched as Byakuya, who had been standing behind Ukitake, rushed to the man's side. "Are you ok, Ukitake-sama?'' He asked, the white haired man tried to nod as another cough racked through his body.

The door to the room opened and another man entered rushing to Ukitake's aid. "Jyushiro," he said, "I told you not to over exert yourself. Come on; let's get you out of here. Sorry about this Byakuya."

"It's ok, Kyouraku-sama," Byakuya said.

The man leading Ukitake to the door turned back to Byakuya. "I told you already, none of the Kyouraku-sama crap. Call me Shunsui, and call this sick fool here Jyushiro."

Byakuya nodded and the two other men departed the room, the door closing behind them. Byakuya turned back to the group of teens watching the scene in silence. "I apologize for the disruption." His baritone voice easily carried through the entire room. "Jyushiro-sama is very ill and wasn't even suppose to be here today had we not thought him well enough to attend. It looks like I'll be wrapping up this meeting,"

He paused and his eyes scanned around the whole room, Ichigo thought that for a second they lingered on him. "I would like to thank you all for joining the program here today. It will be a very rewarding experience if you make it to the end. Things are a bit different from how Jyushiro-sama ran it. While his program focused mostly on getting you to cut ties with streets and re-establishing relationships with family and friends, my program's focus is to help you learn to prosper in society.

"We still will take to steps to get you off the streets and back into your homes, but part of our focus now will be to keep you off the streets after we do that. There are new requirements now to qualify as completing the program, one being attending school and another being getting a part time job or some other steady flow of income, by legal means. Also in addition to the group meetings the original program offered in order to get to the root of why you ended up out here in the first place, there will also be programs and groups to help you refocus away from the original reason and allow a healthy alternative, such as self defense classes, art classes, kendo lessons, and volunteer work.

"Our goal is to do whatever it takes to get you off the streets, and keep you off the streets," Byakuya seemed to be looking everyone in the eye as he gave his speech. "We save a lot of teens," his baritone voice rolled through the room, "but unfortunately we don't save everyone. My hope is to change that." As he said the last part, Ichigo could swear that Byakuya was staring him straight in the eye like no one else in the room existed.


	3. Getting With the Program

Edited on 7/12/2010

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**Chapter 2: Getting With the Program**

"Ok class lets take attendance. Raise your hand if you're not here." The teacher looked around the room and sighed. "Would it kill you all to have sense of humor, I mean when I was in school if the teacher made that joke the whole class hands went up." She sighed and did a head count of the class. "Ok looks like everyone-," she paused and recounted the class a small smile spread across her face. "Kurosaki, your classmate Ordihime Inoue was kind enough to keep up with your missing assignments if you'd like to pick them up from her."

At the last statement every head in the room turned towards Ichigo and whispers along the line of, "He's back? How long was he gone this time? How long do you think he'll last?" could be heard from the class gossips.

Ichigo ignored all of this and nodded to the teacher. "Yes ma'am."

"Ok, then if you all will take out your English Textbooks and turn to page one-seventy-nine, we can start today's lesson. Uryu Ishida if you would start us off, we can popcorn read."

A few grumbles went around the room about how they weren't in grade school anymore and popcorn reading was too childish for them.

"Either we popcorn read or you all read silently and answer the five questions ad the end in no less than two paragraphs each," the teacher stated, all complaints immediately ceased.

Ichigo couldn't help but smile. Though he would never admit it, he really had missed being in school with his eccentric teacher and crazy classmates.

::-::

"Ahh, I give up, Ichigo you explain it to him." Yumichika sat back in his chair and with an aggravated sigh and threw his pencil down on the table.

"Come on, don't be that way Yummy," Ikkaku said, "Just explain it one more time."

Yumichika rolled his eyes at the stupid nickname that Ikkaku insisted on calling him by. "No way, some people just cannot be taught and the stress of trying to teach you is so unbeautiful."

"Please Yummy; I swear I'll get it this time," Ikkaku begged.

"No." This started a back and forth conversation of Ikkaku begging and Yumichika saying no.

"Alright guys, I'll explain it to him just shut up already." Ichigo put down his pencil and pushed the notebooks and textbook in front of him out of the way as he stood and leaned over the table looking at the homework assignment that was giving Ikkaku so much trouble. It all looked pretty simple to him, just solving and graphing quadratic equations. "What don't you get, chrome dome?" he asked the other teen.

"Any of it, I don't get any of it," was Ikkaku's reply.

Ichigo sighed. "It's not that hard really Ikkaku, all you have to do is…" Ichigo spent the next five minutes explaining quadratics to the other. "Get it now?" he asked sitting back down. His eyes scanning around the room, he noticed that it was mostly empty except for a few other kids talking animatedly to one another, and Byakuya Kuchiki was standing by the door, his eyes seemed to be focused on Ichigo.

"Yeah, just stick to the formula," Ikkaku was saying. "Why wasn't it so easy when you explained Yummy?" he teased the other boy.

Yumichika rolled his eyes. "Perhaps because I'm not qualified to teach the mentally retarded," Yumichika remarked. "Ichigo could you help me with this? Chemistry is so unbeautiful."

Ichigo sighed and stood back up leaning over the table to Yumichika. "Do you have a Periodic Table?" he asked.

Yumichika looked through the pile of papers next to him. "Seems I don't," he answered, "Do I really need one?"

"If you don't want your brain to explode while doing nomenclature you do." Ichigo took a piece of scrap paper from Yumichika's notebook and drew a rough version of the Periodic Table of Elements. "Now all you have to do is follow these rules," ten minutes went to explaining different types of nomenclature problems to Yumichika and Ichigo sat back down going back to his own pile of assignments.

He had already completed the homework that was due the next day, now he was just working on the back assignments from the days be missed. He always took the time to make up every missing assignment when he skipped large amounts of school, that way all he had to do was arrange a date with his teacher to make up missed test and he wouldn't worry about being held back a year.

"Hey Ichi, could you help me with this?" Ikkaku asked.

Ichigo let out an aggravated sigh. "What is it this time?" He stood and spent another five minutes explaining what led to the fall of the Roman Empire for Ikkaku's history assignment, then another five minutes explaining the European cast system of the middle ages for Yumichika's history assignment.

"Anything else, or can I do my own work now?" Ichigo asked, sitting back down at his seat, his back was killing him from leaning over the table so much. The other two teens shook their heads as they continued to work.

"Um, I could use some help," A voice said from behind Ichigo, he leaned back in his chair and glanced up at the boy who had lust joined the group. "You're late Shuhei," Ichigo stated. "Pull up a seat."

"Sorry, my teacher held me after class, but I could really use some help with this biology homework."

The next half hour was dedicated to teaching the finer parts of different assignments to the group. "Ok, enough you three, I'm sure Kurosaki-kun has work of his own to get to."

Ichigo looked up to find the source of the dull baritone voice. "Byakuya," he stated in greeting.

"It's good to see you're all serious about working on you school assignments, but I'm sure Kurosaki-kun would like a chance to get to work on his own assignments. Tomorrow there will be a group of homework helpers on duty. As for now, I'm the only here to help today so if you have any further questions please bring them to me."

"Thanks Kuchiki-sama," Ichigo's three friends said. Ichigo only looked up at the man with a defiant look on his face.

He really hadn't minded helping his friends with their homework. He had grumbled and complained about it, but that had been all for appearance. The way he saw it, since attending school was a new requirement for being in the program, making sure his friends understood the assignments would make them more willing to stay in school and thus keep them in the program longer. When Renji had went through the new program, he and Ichigo had gotten together everyday to work on the boy's homework.

Byakuya's face remained impassive as he looked the three boys over before turning to Ichigo. "You can feel free to come to me if you need help as well." He stated his voice trying to convey some unspoken message.

"Thanks Byakuya, I'll keep that in mind," Ichigo said. "Now if you'll excuse me I still have assignments to do."

Byakuya looked away from Ichigo, trying to hide his expression. What could pass for an exasperated sigh escape his lips. "The next program meeting starts in ten minutes, I hope to see you all there." He didn't wait for a reply as he turned and strode away.

Ichigo watched his retreating figure; he shrugged."Who pissed in his Cheerios?"

His three friends looked at him with curious looks. "What?" Ichigo demanded. The rest of the groups shook their heads mumbled, 'nothing' and returned to their homework. Ichigo's eyes drifted back to Byakuya who was now standing at another table on the other side of the room talking to a few other kids that were also in the program, as if he felt the teens eyes on him he turned and glanced Ichigo's way. A light blush spread across Ichigo's face as he quickly turned his attention back to the work in front of him. He wondered why that look had set his heart pounding so much.

::-::

"Today we will attempt to find the roots of the reasons you're here. We will discuss what provoked you to enter the streets in the first place so that we can find what we have to do to make you leave them."

Ichigo sat in the back of the room that the center had official given over for use of the Change of Hearts Program listening to the man giving the 'lecture' with a bored expression on his face. He had heard this seven times before and doubted his need to attend the meeting, but attendance was mandatory, so Ichigo had let his three friends drag him here.

He already knew where this was going: the speaker, this time it was Shunsui Kyouraku, would recite some B.S. about different situations and conditions that would prompt a teen to become a street kid, there'll most likely be some statistics saying crap like 98% of teens to turn to the streets are either looking to escape unfavorable living conditions or searching for acceptance in a world that they feel is against them, then he'll have everyone think on what they're own situation was like and figure out what made them turn to the streets. He'll ask for volunteers and no one will raise they're hand so he will randomly call on a few people. Then everyone would be told to think of what they could to make things better for themselves so that they can get off the streets, the meeting would be released and Ichigo would leave without having learned anything of use to get him back home.

Sure enough Shunsui began his lecture, starting with a statistic that used the numbers 98% and 2%, because everyone knows that 98% of statistics use the numbers 98 and 2 and of the 2% that didn't, 80% used the numbers 80 and 20. Ichigo tuned out the lecture and opted instead to let his eyes roam around the room. There was exactly seven people in the program this time, Ichigo and his friends plus three other kids that Ichigo had seen around the Center but wasn't personally familiar with.

Other than the seven juveniles in the room, there was three adults present also: Shunsui Kyouraku who was giving the talk, Jyushiro Ukitake who Ichigo vaguely wondered if he was even well enough to be here, and Byakuya Kuchiki. The dark haired man was dressed in a pure black suit and tie. His dark as night hair was neatly pinned back and his steely gray eyes was set on Kyouraku, but Ichigo was sure Byakuya was watching him out of the corner of his eye. Ichigo turned his attention away from the new program director. He might just be acting a little paranoid but the dark haired man was always present somewhere around Ichigo when he was at the center and Ichigo always had the feeling that the man was watching him.

He didn't realize that the only reason he noticed that was because he was always watching the man himself.

"I guess the reason I'm here is because I felt suffocated and unloved at my house."

The voice drew Ichigo's eyes back to the three kids he didn't know, one of them was standing, having been called on to give the reason as to why he was out on the streets. Ichigo noted the fact that the kid was dressed in a pair of jeans and a red pullover hoodie, hands stuffed in the pockets, but despite the male attire, Ichigo also noted a distinctive feminine voice. So one of the other kids was a female huh? Ichigo vaguely wondered if he'd ever bumped into a girl in the program before. He pushed the thoughts away as he continued listening to her speak.

"I'm my mom's second child, but she has five children after me. Two of them still in diapers, one barely potty trained. It feels like I'm more a parent to them than our actual parents are because I was always the one babysitting. I got up every morning and made them breakfast before rushing to school. Then I picked them up from daycare and stuff and watched them for four hours until my mom or dad got off work. I had to cook for them and clean the house while at the same time stopping them from destroying things or killing each other. And my parents never thanked me for it because it was like doing this stuff was expected of me. I had no time for myself because I always had to look after the kids, while my older brother was free to come and go as he pleased. I guess I just got sick of it."

The girl's story was one Ichigo had heard before: the overworked older sibling who couldn't deal with being in the household, it was a classic, but it was also most likely true.

"Thank you for sharing, Kaya-san, would anyone else like to share?" Shunsui glanced around the room. "What about you, Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo looked up at Shunsui in disbelief, he hadn't been called on since his first three times in the program when he'd given the same non-answer every time. Did Shunsui really think this time would be any different? Ichigo sighed. "I'm sure we both know why I'm here Shunsui," he replied in a guarded tone. "Do you really have to ask?"

"You can't use anger as an excuse forever, Ichigo." The man called him by his given name since Ichigo had been just as informal with him.

"I don't see any other excuse for me to be out there."

Shunsui sighed. "You know there's no reason for you to be so hung up on the past Ichigo, there's nothing you can do to change it."

Ichigo said nothing, just glared at the man, his eyes demanding the subject to be dropped, his fist clenched tightly at his side, as he tried his hardest not to let out a sharp retort.

"Hey Ichi, relax, it's ok," Ikkaku said.

Ichigo took a deep breath willing the tension to release from his body, he looked and found three pairs of concerned eyes on him, he sighed. "I'm ok guys," he reassured his friends. As the tense atmosphere relaxed he turned his attention back to Shunsui in the front of the room, the man had moved to call on someone else; out of the corner of Ichigo's eyes he could see Byakuya staring intently at him.

::-::

Time passed without notice.

About three weeks ago Ichigo had stood outside the Community Center talking to his friend Renji who had just completed the Change of Hearts Program. About three weeks ago Ichigo had sat in the mess hall of the same center letting two of his friends talk him into joining that same program. About three hours ago Ichigo had made up his mind. About three minutes ago he had strode into the Community Center and into the meeting room of the Program. About three seconds Ichigo had stood before the crowded room and declared, "I'm dropping out of the Change of Hearts Program."

All eyes turned to him. Three pairs of eyes looked at him in confusions as Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Shuuhei wondered where this had come from. Three pairs of eyes only cast him the briefest of glances as the other three teens decided they didn't care if he dropped out or not. Two pairs of eyes shined with grim acceptance as Ukitake and Shunsui both agreed that they knew this would be coming soon.

No one spoke as one set of gunmetal grey eyes' look of confusion hardened over into disdain. "Unacceptable," was the word that broke the silence. Byakuya's baritone voice carried across the room to the orange haired teen.

Ichigo glared at him in defiance. "I wasn't asking," he stated. "I'm leaving the program."

"Again," Byakuya replied in a neutral voice, "Unacceptable. I will not allow you to leave the program."

Ichigo's face twisted into a snarl and he wanted to make some smart-aleck retort but thought the better of it. "Again, I wasn't asking. I'm leaving."

"Ichi," Ikkaku called after his friend.

Ichigo sighed and turned to the three people that had talked him into joining the program in the first place. "You three stay," he ordered. "There's only three days until you complete the program no use backing out now."

"But Ichigo," Shuuhei said.

Ichigo glared at the three of them. "Either stay in the program or face the ass kicking I'll give you if you leave."

The strawberry's three friends were at lost for words and Ichigo took this as a chance to turn and leave the room, shutting the bewildered looks behind the door. Ichigo barely made it two steps down the hall before the door opened behind him swung open and a stern voice called out to him.

"Kurosaki," Byakuya said, "I have not yet dismissed the meeting; you are not allowed to leave."

Ichigo turned and shot him his deadliest glare. "I've already told you I'm dropping out of the program, so you have no authority over me."

Byakuya said nothing but the weight of his gaze told Ichigo that this was no matter for discussion. With an aggravated sigh Ichigo forced himself to turn back around and storm out of the Community Center.

Behind him he thought he heard Byakuya saying one last thing to him but he pushed it aside as he made his escape.

::-::

Sitting on the grass overlooking the river, the exact spot where his mother had died so many years prior, Ichigo wondered what had possessed him to leave the program this time.

Things had been going great. The changes that had been made to the program had kept him entertained and made him believe there was hope for him this time. In the past he had always used anger as his excuse for entering the streets, the program used to make him admit that reason but didn't do anything about it, until now.

He had said he was there because of anger, now the program offered him ways to redirect that anger. He had been enrolled in both self defense and kendo classes, though the self defense classes were pretty pointless since Ichigo had already been a fighter to begin with.

He attended school everyday and had completed all of his missing assignments, he had a job at the local convenience store. Everything was perfect; he had no reason to not return home now. It seemed that Byakuya's new program had really saved him. Even his friends were doing well and were ready to leave the streets now, Shuuhei had even returned to sleeping in his parents' house instead of at the center with the rest of them. Ikkaku was back on speaking terms with his father and Yumichika had gone shopping with his little brother and sister just the other day. The program was doing wonders for all of them. In just three days time they would have graduated the program and given up their lives as street kids.

But Ichigo had wanted out.

Everything was going the way he wanted it to. His friends were about to leave the streets like he wanted them to. Their lives were about to be saved like he wanted them to be. It was all he'd ever wanted for his friends.

But what he wanted for himself was completely different.

The streets still called to him. The streets called to him, telling him that this was where he belonged. No where else would accept him. No where else could be his home. He belonged on the streets. They were made for him, he belonged to them. There was no way he could ever leave.

He was this close to what seemed like a permanent escape from the rough and tumble life he was living, and he had turned away from it. This was his way out and he hadn't taken it. Why the hell hadn't he taken it?

"Damn it all to hell!" Ichigo cursed, yanking at his orange colored locks. He had been so close to leaving the streets possibly forever. He could feel it. The streets weren't where he wanted to be anymore; he could go home and fit right in with his family. He could be normal again. All he had to do was make it through three more days. Three more days in the program, his graduation would be held on Christmas Eve and he would be back home with his family for the holidays.

Why had he left? He was so close. "Why did I leave?" he asked aloud to himself.

Ichigo sighed and stared out at the waters in front of him. A light breeze caused him to shiver, gunmetal grey eyes looked up at him from the depths of the water, a deep baritone voice spoke to him, "Leave now, but I assure you I am not letting you go."


	4. Hanging in There

Edited on 7/12/2010

* * *

**Chapter 3: Hanging in There**

Ichigo walked into the Community Center heading for the line for the free lunch program. He hadn't slept at the Center the night before, opting instead to stay the night at his friend Keigo's house. Keigo, being the always eager to please guy that he was, hadn't mind letting Ichigo sleep over, but he had rushed off in the morning before Ichigo could get breakfast. And Ichigo had slept so late that he had missed breakfast at the center. Being short on funds had stopped him from buying breakfast, as a result, by the time the lunch hour rolled around Ichigo was practically starving.

The lunch line at the center wasn't very long, but it wasn't going fast enough to please Ichigo's rumbling stomach. He stood impatient as the people before him moved at a snail's pace through the line. His stomach screamed bloody murder, and it took all his self control not to butt to the front of the line. That self control was just beginning to waver when he finally reached the front of the line a received his food. He took his food and headed to eat outside where he was sure no one else would be. He had just sat down to eat (today's menu was miso soup, rice, and green tea) when he heard a low baritone voice from behind him:

"Why are you not in school, Kurosaki?" Byakuya asked.

Ichigo slowly turned towards the voice. Byakuya Kuchiki stood beside Ichigo, dressed in flattering dark colored suit with a white shirt and a black tie. His dark as night hair hung in gentle waves around his serious no nonsense face. He was neat from head to toe and emitted an air of power and control that all but screamed "my word is law."

Suddenly Ichigo felt slightly inadequate in the man's presence dressed in a pair of ragged jeans, well loved (worn) sneakers and a t-shirt hidden under Mizuiro's too tight jacket. His bright orange hair was as unruly as it always been, and his socks didn't even match (not that Byakuya would know that from looking). His chocolate brown eyes met the piercing gaze of gunmetal grey one's and it took all of the remaining self control he had to keep his usual scowl in place.

"What does it matter to you rather I'm in school or not, Byakuya?" he answered the question with one of his own, his attention so set on the Kuchiki that he didn't realize the winter air was making the food, that he had waited so long for, get cold.

"I'm sure that I made it clear, everyone in the Program is required to attend school everyday, no excuses."

"I'm sure I made it clear that I've dropped out of the Program, so what I do is none of your concern."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed as he looked the boy over. Seeming to have made up his mind he simply said, "Let's go Kurosaki."

"What? Let's go where? I'm eating," Ichigo declared, gesturing to his forgotten meal.

Byakuya didn't even glance at the food. "I will not repeat myself Kurosaki. Come." He turned and strode away. Ichigo looked from his food to the retreating figure of the older man before letting out an exasperated sigh, dumping the food and rushing after Byakuya.

::-::-::-::

"Hell no! I am not going in there." Ichigo yelled. Byakuya had led him from his seat outside the Community Center and to his sleek black sports car. Ichigo had questioned him relentlessly about where they were going, but the man's silence only served to frustrate him so he had given up. A five minute drive later and their destination became clear. "I'm not even wearing my uniform," Ichigo said as the came to a stop in front of his school. "The day is half way over."

Byakuya said nothing as he put the car in park and cut the engine. "Out of the car, Kurosaki," he stated simply, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Hell no! I said I wasn't going in there."

"Kurosaki," Byakuya's even baritone voice said.

Two minutes later they were standing outside of Ichigo's classroom. "I'm not going in there." Ichigo said; the argument was getting old really fast. He still hadn't figured out how Byakuya had gotten him out of the car and into the school building, there was just something in the other's tone that couldn't be ignored.

"I've already talked to your principal and your teacher, just go in."

"I said I'm not going in there."

"Oh contraire, Kurosaki-kun," a female voice said from the classroom doorway, Ichigo's teacher stood there with an obviously fake smile plastered on her face. "It's nice of you to join us, please go take your seat."

Fearing the fury of his teacher more than his pride Ichigo reluctantly obliged. "Yes ma'am." He walked into the class and headed for his seat.

"It was nice of you to bring him Kuchiki-sama," the teacher said to Byakuya.

The dark haired man just gave a curt nod. "I'll try to make sure he's wearing his uniform next time." Ichigo could hardly believe his ears, because it sounded like Byakuya was teasing and that was definitely out of character for the stoic man. "Kurosaki, I'll be back to get you at the final bell," Byakuya informed the bewildered teen before making his departure.

It wouldn't be until a while later that Ichigo would realize what Byakuya had said, and even then the thought would be overshadowed by the revelation that he had let Byakuya win this battle.

::-::-::-::

"Where are you taking me this time?" Ichigo wanted to know as he followed Byakuya down the street. School had just let out and just as he had said, Byakuya was there to meet Ichigo at the final bell. But instead of taking the boy to his shiny black sports car and whisking him away across town, Byakuya had simply told Ichigo to "come" and had turned and walked down the street.

Ichigo still questioned his motives for actually following the man.

Byakuya did not reply as he walked slightly ahead of Ichigo. The streets were crowded with students leaving school and people doing last minute Christmas shopping, seeing as how Christmas Eve was the next day, which was also the day that Ichigo had supposed to have graduated the Change of Hearts Program if he hadn't dropped out again.

Ichigo scowled, not liking the fact that he was acting as Byakuya's tag-along. He debated over rather he should just 'get lost' in the crowd of people and escape Byakuya, the man didn't seem to care rather Ichigo followed him or not anyway; he just expected that Ichigo would. Which once again brought up the question of why was he following Byakuya like some lost puppy?

"Ichigo!" the sound of his name being called pulled Ichigo from his thoughts and he scanned the crowd to see who was calling him.

A small smile crept onto his face when he spotted two young girls standing not too far from him. "Yuzu, Karin!" He called to his sisters. "What are you two doing out here?"

Ichigo's little sister Yuzu smiled up at him, while Karin scowled from the background, not even taking a step closer to her brother. "I had to finish my Christmas shopping," Yuzu said. "I haven't gotten dad's gift yet, but I got yours already. You're going to love it. And I'm cooking a big Christmas dinner too, it's going to have all your favorites. Dad decorated the house all pretty with lights and mistletoe and the tree is gorgeous. I thought it was too big when dad brought it home, but it's perfect. Everything is set for an amazing Christmas celebration this year, so," Yuzu looked up at Ichigo pleadingly, "You'll be there right? I mean Christmastime if family time, so there's really no reason for you not to be home, right Ichi-niisan?"

"Yuzu," Ichigo said slowly, his voice dropping low not liking the pained expression on his younger sister's face.

"You shouldn't have even bothered asking Yuzu," Karin cut in, "He won't be there. We're not his family anymore. He'd whether be out here freezing and starving to death, than to be home with us. It's not his home anymore."

"Karin."

"It's not like I care or anything. As far as I'm concerned it's good riddance to bad trash." Karin turned and stormed off.

"Karin!" Yuzu called after her. "I'm sorry Ichigo," the girl said turning to her brother, "Karin has been kind of moody every since you left. I should go after her."

"It's ok. Go on after her. Tell her I'm sorry."

Yuzu turned to run after her twin but hesitated. "You will be home for Christmas, won't you Ichi-niisan?" she implored. "It's really going to be great this year."

"Yuzu, I-," Ichigo paused, "I'll try, but no promises."

Yuzu nodded and ran after her sister. Ichigo stood watching the two of them disappear into the crowd. It was so obvious how much both of them missed him, even if Karin was too stubborn to ever admit it. Ichigo felt like the worst big brother in the world, he hated the fact he was causing them so much pain.

"They really do miss you," a low baritone voice said shattering the depressing thoughts Ichigo had slipped into. Ichigo's chocolate brown eyes turned up to meet Byakuya's gunmetal grey ones "The black haired one, Karin is it, she's too head strong and stubborn to admit it, much like her brother. But the other, you could see her feelings right on her face. She was heartbroken, how could you hurt a child in such a way."

"Shut up," Ichigo hissed, not liking the fact that Byakuya had just said the very thing he'd been thinking. "You know nothing."

"I know enough to tell a bleeding heart when I see one," Byakuya stated before turning and resuming walking. "Hurry it up, Kurosaki, it's getting late out."

Ichigo grumbled, still wondering where Byakuya could be taking him, but he followed without complaint, or any further thoughts of escape.

::-::-::-::

Ichigo followed Byakuya into a small house by the river. The house was built in the traditional style with sliding, paper doors and tatami mat floors. It was small, but cozy, and placed in a secluded area along the river. It was peaceful and, though it was within the city, it felt as if it was not part of the city. It had remained untouched by the city's development, uncorrupted by the hands of change.

"This is my house," Byakuya said before Ichigo could ask, he led the way inside, stopping to remove his shoes at the entrance. "Come on in, the housekeeper should have prepared dinner by now and it'll be getting cold."

Ichigo wanted to say something smart-alecky, but the mention of food quickly silenced his mouth and awoken his stomach. He obediently followed Byakuya to the dining room, looking over the house as he went. All the doors were traditional paper screens, some painted in beautifully elegant designs of butterflies and flower petals. There were about three rooms between the entrance and the dining room, all of which Byakuya named as they passed.

"That's the room where I greet guest, I believe it's referred to as the living room. The one across from it is a bathroom. That's my home gym there; more of a training room than a gym actually since I don't keep weights or the like in there. It's for mediation and martial arts training. He stopped in front of the door next to the gym. "This is the dining room, and farther down is the master bedroom, the guest room, and my study. You'll be staying in the guest room."

That said, he opened the door and ushered Ichigo into the dining room. Ichigo scowled as he stepped inside, how dare Byakuya assume that he'll be staying. Sure he'll humor the man and stay for a meal, his stomach would kill him if he didn't, but there was no way in hell he'd be staying the night in the man's house. He didn't even know him that well.

Ichigo opened his mouth to speak his complaints, but when his eyes fell on the steaming plates of food all he could do was try not to drool. There was an array of delicious foods all neatly arranged on the table, from sweet buns, to miso soup, sushi, fried fish, okinomiyaki, and just about anything else one could think of. And it all smelled and looked down right delectable.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare, or will you be joining me." Ichigo had been so fixated on the food; he hadn't even noticed when Byakuya had seated himself at the head of the low table. "I would not like it if you let my food get cold."

Ichigo shot Byakuya his coldest glare, but dutifully took his seat across from him. "Do you make a habit of bringing strange boys home with you and treating them to dinner."

Byakuya ignored the boy's remark and dipped his hands in a bowl of warm water on the table and then dried them on a fluffy white towel next to him, and then he looked up at Ichigo as if waiting for something. Ichigo's eyes turned down to the table and saw that there was also a bowl of water and a towel in front of him; he rather indifferently repeated Byakuya's actions.

"Itadakimasu. Let's eat," Byakuya said curtly and began to help himself to the food. He filled a small plate with different things and handed it to Ichigo, before filling another and placing it in front of him. Ichigo watched silently as the man began to eat with his chopsticks. All of his movements were filled with delicate grace and well trained mannerism. Obviously Byakuya had been raised under the proper primp and grooming given to those of noble birth.

"Will you just be staring, or will you be eating?" Byakuya's voice cut through the Kurosaki's thoughts, causing the teen to send him a cold glare before taking a small bite of something (he didn't pay attention to what) off his plate.

Ichigo's eyes widened and he immediately tried to dispel the food from his mouth, while reaching for a cup of water. He downed it like a dehydrated man that hadn't had a thing to drink in years. Byakuya watched with a slightly bemused expression on his face as Ichigo finally satisfied his sudden need for cooling liquid and glared at him.

"I take it as you do not have a taste for wasabi rolls," The older male stated, sipping lazily from his own cup of water in an attempt to hide his smirk, but Ichigo saw it and growled.

"I like wasabi just fine when people aren't sneaking it onto my plate."

"I did no such thing. You watched me fix your plate, if there was anything you did not wish to be put on it, it was your job to bring it to my attention."

Byakuya slowly picked back up his chopsticks and resumed eating, oblivious to the glare the orange haired teen had fixed him with. A few minutes passed in relative silence as the two males ate their meal, until Byakuya sighed and placed down his chopsticks.

"Maybe this was a mistake," The director of the Change of Hearts Program mumbled in a low voice, more to himself than to anyone, but Ichigo still heard. His chocolate brown eyes looked up as if to ask 'what?', but Byakuya just shook his head and picked his chopsticks back up. "Hurry and finish your meal, Kurosaki," he stated before letting silence once again reign over the room.

::-::-::-::

After the meal had been finished and a comment had been made about a servant clearing away the leftovers and dishes in the morning, Byakuya stood and exited the room. Not knowing if he was supposed to follow or not, Ichigo climbed to his feet and took slow tentative steps after the noble.

Byakuya entered the room that he had pointed out as his home gym earlier that evening and left the door slightly ajar for Ichigo to follow him in. The teen hesitantly entered the room and slid the paper door closed. His eyes took in the room, it was pretty much empty of all furnishings save for a small shrine erected in the corner and a sword displayed above it. Byakuya kneeled on the tatami mat floorings before the shrine, lighting incense and mumbling low words that Ichigo could barely hear. The teen stood back watching as the noble bowed respectively to the shrine before turning to Ichigo. "Come have a seat, Kurosaki," Byakuya's baritone voice ordered, and Ichigo silently complied as the noble turned his attention back to the shrine.

Silence ruled this room, just as it had ruled their dinner. Finally Ichigo got annoyed with the silence and asked, "Why am I here, Byakuya?"

At first it seemed the Kuchiki would give no answer, and Ichigo opened his mouth to ask again in a more demanding tone, but at that moment Byakuya spoke, but not to answer Ichigo's question, but to ask one of his own: "Tell me Kurosaki, why are you angry?"

Ichigo's narrowed into an annoyed glare. "Who said I was angry?" He sure hadn't let own at his annoyance unless Byakuya's had picked up on the strained tones in his simple question.

"Shunsui Kyouraku," Byakuya stated, he hadn't turned to look at Ichigo, instead his attention remained on tending the shrine. "At the Center," he added, as if that clarified anything.

"I don't follow," Ichigo stated confused, had Byakuya and Shunsui been talking about him behind his back? And what did that have to do with why he was at Byakuya's house at that moment?

"When we were discussing the motives you had for entering the streets, Kyouraku-san asked you for your reason. You replied that he already knew why you were there, and he said you couldn't use anger as an excuse forever." Byakuya patiently explained before repeating his first question, "So tell me, Kurosaki, why are you angry?"

Ichigo was seething, but he tried to reign in his temper as he glared daggers into Byakuya's back (he was sitting slightly behind the older male at the shrine). "What the hell does my reasons matter to you. I could be angry just because I woke up this morning or because the sky is blue, either way it's none of your concern."

"It became my concern the moment you entered the Change of Hearts Program, which is now under my direction if I need to remind you."

"If that's so, then it stopped being your concern the moment I left the program."

"Unacceptable, considering the fact that I never allowed you to leave the program, and I don't plan on ever allowing you to leave unless it's through graduation like everyone else."

A low growl escaped Ichigo. "What does anything I do have to do with you? Yes, I entered the program and dropped out, just like I've done four times before. I've also made it through to graduation three times, and I just ended up back out there on the streets. You should just give up on me. Everyone else has, and you know why? Because they realize that they can't save me! As long as I live, I'll continue to run the streets. There's no way to save me! That stupid program can't save me, my dad can't save me. I can't even save myself, so there's no way in hell you could save me. So just frickin give up on me already."

Ichigo hadn't realized that he'd been yelling, nor did he even really care. Byakuya was aggravating him talking shit about trying to save him. Ichigo was too angry to even realize that it had been him that brought up the topic of saving him, not Byakuya, his sub-conscious way of trying to express what he really wanted to say.

A pregnant silence hung in the air, before Byakuya finally spoke, "If memory serves, you're a fighter are you not Kurosaki?" Ichigo could only nod at the seemingly random question. Byakuya had finally turned his attention away from the shrine and looked at the fire haired teen. "I'll make you a deal," the Kuchiki stated, getting to his feet and looking down at the younger male. "If you can beat me in a fight, I'll let you go. I'll let you leave the program and never pursue you again."

Ichigo climbed to his feet as he considered this, all he had to do was beat Byakuya in a fight and the man leave him alone? Sounded fair to him. "Deal." The word had barely left his mouth before he was rushing Byakuya with all he had.

He had hoped to catch his opponent off guard with the sudden attack, but it was almost as if the noble had been expecting the move because when Ichigo swung his arm, his fist connected with thin air. "Too slow, Kurosaki," was Byakuya's simple statement from behind the teen. Ichigo spun around, leg lifting to deliver a sharp kick to his opponent's ribs, but the flying limb was caught against a firm palm and twisted causing Ichi to lose balance and fall to the floor. His hands slammed against the tatami supporting him along with Byakuya's grip on his ankle. Ichigo used this position to his advantage and raised his other leg to kick out at the elder man. Byakuya dodged Ichigo's second attempt at a kick and released the boy's ankle retreating to a safe distance as Ichigo regained his balance with both feet on the floor.

"Tell me Kurosaki, what are you doing?"

Ichigo looked at Byakuya as if that was the stupidest question in the world, wasn't it obvious. "I'm fighting," he declared rushing Byakuya again, only to have his punch once again dodged.

"Why are you fighting?" Ichigo tried a series of kicks and punches, but none of them connected.

"Because I want you to leave me alone," he answered the man's question just before Byakuya blocked another one of his attacks and retreated again.

"Why do you want to be left alone?"

"I don't want to be left alone; I just want you to leave me alone."

Byakuya sighed. "Fine then, why do you want _me _to leave you alone?"

Ichigo attacked Byakuya again; it was going to be harder to win this fight than he had thought. "Because I'm angry."

"Why are you angry?"

Ichigo ignored the question as he continued to try to land a blow on Byakuya. Throughout the fight he had noticed that Byakuya only ever blocked or dodged Ichigo's attacks, never delivering an attack of his own, but it seemed Byakuya had gotten bored with fighting this way, and at Ichigo's next attack he gripped the teen's fist and used it to spin him around and slam him against a wall. (It must have been an outside wall, because all the inside walls were made of paper.)

"Why are you angry?" Byakuya repeated his question. Ichigo tried to break free of his hold, arching off the wall and pressing his back against Byakuya's chest in doing so, but Byakuya twisted his still captured arm up into an almost painful angle causing a low whimper of pain to escape Ichi's lips. "Why are you angry?" he asked again.

"Fucking bastard, let me go." Ichigo growled disregarding the pain in his arm as he once again tried to break Byakuya's hold.

Byakuya's loosened his grip enough to spin the teen around so that Ichigo was facing him instead of the wall. "Why are you angry?" he wasn't letting go of the question, and this time Ichigo couldn't stop himself from answering.

"Because I'm a failure!" he yelled. "Are you happy now? I admitted it, I'm a failure; I can't do anything, and that's why I'm so angry, because I'm a failure."

Byakuya's gunmetal grey eyes bored down on the teen that seemed about ready to have a mental breakdown. So many emotions played across Ichigo's face. Anger, fear, self-loathing, hate, pain, and a deep sadness that he wasn't ready to admit to feeling. Byakuya's watched all these emotions play across Ichigo's face, while he had an internal battle of his own.

"Ichigo, I-"

"Save it, I don't need your pity. Just let me go." Ichigo had turned his head to the side and refused to look up at Byakuya.

"Ichigo," Byakuya said, his voice making Ichi turn to see what the noble wanted. Byakuya opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again as if thinking the better of it, and then before Ichigo realized what was happening, the older man's lips were on his own.


	5. Righting Wrongs

Edited on 7/13/2010

* * *

**Chapter 4: Righting Wrongs**

Ichigo gasped in surprise when he felt the lips pressing gently against his own. A million thoughts went through his head at once, and the next thing he knew, he'd gripped the front of Byakuya's shirt and pulled the man more forcefully against him, kissing him back eagerly. They're lips pressed hungrily against each other, parting and allowing tongues to engage in a battle for dominance.

The older man tried to pull back and end the kiss, but Ichigo let out a low growl and pressed against him even more. Eventually the kiss did end, leaving Ichigo panting for breath, and Byakuya's cool detached mask cracked and crumbling.

"What was that, Kurosaki?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A kiss obviously," Ichigo said with the defiant tone of a little kid. "You should know, you initiated it."

Byakuya got a puzzled, far away look on his face before letting his cool mask slip back into place. "I suppose that I did," he said in a guarded tone, before glancing back at the shrine behind him. "It's getting late, time to turn in. I trust you remember where the guest room is." Before Ichigo had a chance to respond, the noble born man departed the room.

::-::-::

_Ichigo knew he had to be dreaming. There was no other option; he was either dreaming or dead. That was the only way he could be standing on the familiar street corner across from the Community Center staring into the smiling face of a girl that he had once known, but would never see again._

"_Why are you always scowling so much, Strawberry?" she asked in her ever so chipper voice. "Try smiling sometimes, it's good for you. Or better yet, laugh. You know they say every time you laugh it adds a minute to your life."_

"_That can't be true," Ichigo said in a monotone voice._

"_And why can't it?" She pouted._

"_Because you did nothing but laugh, you should have lived forever, but you didn't."_

"_That's different Ichi; the rules don't apply to street kids like me. That's why I died. And that's why you need to go home."_

"_I can't go home," Ichigo said._

"_And why can't you, Mister Frowny Face?" _

"_The same reason you never went home. The streets call to me."_

"_Ichigo Kurosaki, if you don't stop comparing us right this instant I'll kick your ass from here to Tupelo, wherever the hell that is. The reason I never went home was because I never had a home to go to."_

"_Nor do I." Silence dragged between them. "I miss you," Ichigo finally admitted._

"_I can't tell. You're not honoring my memory by completing my last request. You just go around moping all day, being a total downer"_

"_I'm a failure," Ichigo said softly. "I couldn't save you. I'm useless. But I do miss you."_

"_Actions speak louder than words, Ichigo."_

::-::-::

Ichigo woke at some odd hour of the night and sat up on the futon he'd been sleeping on. He glanced around the guest room of Byakuya's house with a solemn expression, before getting to his feet and heading towards the door. The hallway was dark and held many shadows. Shadows that could hide secrets and lies.

He walked slowly through the shadows until the reached a door at the end of the hall that had been pointed out to him earlier that evening. Sliding back the paper screen he stepped into the dark room that had even more shadows than the hallway. What secrets and lies could be waiting for him in here? Slow hesitant steps took him to the center of the room where he could make out the outline of a figure sleeping peacefully on a futon underneath layers of blankets.

Ichigo lowered himself to his knees, pulled back the blankets, and slipped underneath them. "I hope you have a good reason for being in my bed, Kurosaki." A baritone voice rang through the darkness. Byakuya's gunmetal eyes stared into the chocolate brown eyes of he boy lying next to him.

Ichigo hesitated for a second before finally speaking in a low voice that held immeasurable levels of sadness. "I need your help," he said softly. "I need your help to forget something, and to teach something."

One delicate black eyebrow rose in questioning. "And how is your being in my bed going to help with this?"

Ichigo didn't say anything, because actions speak louder than words. He leaned in and closed the space between their faces, meeting Byakuya's lips in a needy kiss. For a moment Ichigo thought he was making a mistake, but then Byakuya started to kiss him back and he didn't care anymore.

This kiss wasn't hot and lust hungry like the one they had shared earlier that night. It was soft, needy, but just as hungry but not for lust, it was hungry for something much gentler. Byakuya rolled them over so that he was hovering over Ichigo, and Ichi grasped handfuls of his night dark hair, enjoying its silky softness between his fingers that needed to hold onto something. Ichigo parted his lips, inviting Byakuya to explore the moist cavern of his mouth, not even bothering to fight for dominance because he already knew where he stood.

Ichigo's fingers drifted from Byakuya's hair and instead started working on opening the thin satin pajama top Byakuya wore. He got the cloth open and out of the way so he could run his hands across the man's smooth muscled chest. Meanwhile their lips repeatedly parted and joined again, they nibbled and sucked and continued with their gentle presses. Ichigo wore only boxers, so his chest was already exposed for Byakuya to gently caress. One of Ichigo's hands drifted lower down Byakuya's abdomen and slipped beneath the waist band of his pajama bottoms. Byakuya quickly pulled away as if their actions were just catching up to him.

"Kurosaki," he said softly.

Taking a page from Byakuya's own book, the teen leaned up and silenced him with a kiss. "I need you to show me that I'm not useless," Ichigo said in the low needy voice he had used before.

Byakuya's dark eyes stared into Ichigo's trying to find the answer to some unspoken question. "You don't know what you're saying," the man finally stated.

Ichigo's needy expression turned into one of firm defiance. "I do know what I'm saying," he growled. "If you don't show me, I'll just leave and get someone else to do it. Someone who doesn't so obviously care for me like you do."

Byakuya looked taken aback by that statement.

The defiant expression on Ichigo's face melted back into the needy one. "Please, Byakuya," Ichigo begged. "I need this right now. Just please."

Byakuya sighed, but Ichigo knew he wasn't going to deny him; the man obviously cared about Ichigo and surely didn't want him going out a sleeping with someone else, some stranger. As if to prove Ichi's thoughts true, Byakuya pressed his lips gently against those of the teens and kissed him slow and long. Once their lips finally parted, Byakuya began kissing along Ichi's jaw line and down his neck.

Ichigo laid still on the futon as the man pressed kisses across his chest and down to his navel until he reached the waistband of his boxers. There Byakuya paused, as if still unsure over whether they should be doing this or not, but when Ichigo called his name out softly he continued his actions, hooking his fingers beneath the waistband and pulling them down the boy's slender hips.

Ichigo's member was already at half mast when Byakuya removed his boxers, and it began to harden even more as it was wrapped in soft calloused fingers and slowly pumped. A low whimper escaped Ichigo throat, and that quickly turned into a loud moan as a warm wet tongue joined Byakuya's hand around his shaft. Ichigo bucked his hips wanting more of the sensation. The moist appendage traveled to the base of the teen's length and left fiery trails as it traveled back to the tip and swirled around the slit. Lips surround the head of the organ and sucked softly before the tongue remade its journey back to the base. Warm breath was blown across his now wet arousal causing a shiver to travel of Ichigo's spine. All these actions repeated.

Ichigo gripped the sheet of the futon; his eyes squeezed tightly closed, his hips bucking as he moaned in pleasure. He was about ready cum already, but he wouldn't. He had a feeling about Byakuya was planning and it was not what he wanted. When Byakuya swallowed his shaft all the way to the base Ichigo let out a loud groan but suppressed his desire to cum.

"Byakuya," he whimpered as the man sucked on him, it was like he was being worshiped down there he could barely maintain coherent thought. "Nnn-no, Byakuya stop," he said.

The man pulled away as soon as he asked.

"T-that's not w-what I want." Ichigo panted squirming his hips. "I want you, all of you. Don't try to- to get me off with a blowjob and send me away. If you don't do this, I'll go find someone who will."

Byakuya sighed and got to his feet, for a moment as the man walked across the room Ichigo thought he was letting him go, but then Byakuya grabbed something for his dresser and made his way back over to the bed. "Are you really sure about this?" He asked.

Ichigo only nodded, he needed this right now. It didn't have to be Byakuya, he was just the closest person, it could have been with anyone; he just need to be shown that he wasn't useless.

Another sigh, followed by a low popping sound, Ichigo looked and saw Byakuya applying what looked to be lotion to one of his hands. Ichigo spread his legs farther, leaned back on the pillow and closed his eyes, a few moments later he felt the first finger slip inside him. Ichi slowly counted backwards from ten, before wiggling his hips as a sign to add the next finger. The squeezed his eyes tighter at the burning sensation that came with the second intruding digit. This time he counted backwards from fifteen before wiggling, and Byakuya began to scissor the appendages, thrusting them and delving them deeper and deeper, hooking them and prodding until he found what he was looking for. A sudden intake of breath by Ichigo told him he'd found his prostate and it was ok to add the last finger.

Ichigo was ready to plummet off the edge of a cliff by the time the preparation stage ended. He needed to be filled do badly, he needed to be used so badly, he could cry.

There was a moment of anticipation before Byakuya's hard member slipped inside of him. Ichigo's gripped tightened on the bed sheets and tears filled his eyes from the pressure of the intrusion, but this was what he wanted. Byakuya was stretching him so tightly, filling him so completely; he forgot about everything else and just gave in to the pleasure. Byakuya's thrust were slow and gentle, he aimed to hit his prostate with each movement. He made Ichigo feel so good. He didn't feel used like he had wanted to, but he did feel something else.

::-::-::

Afterward, Byakuya took a warm towel and cleaned the two of them off, before covering Ichigo in a blanket and lying down next to him on the futon. Ichigo laid still on the futon, not speaking, moving, or thinking. The only signs of life from him were the gentle raise and falls of his chest as he breathed and the tears rolling down the sides of his face.

::-::-::

Ichigo woke early the next morning to the sound of Byakuya talking to someone on the phone, it sounded like family maybe because he was apologizing for not being able to make it over for the holiday. It could have been his girlfriend though, for all Ichigo knew about the man. Ichi didn't really care. Byakuya could be in his adjoining bathroom with the door closed talking to Carl the Easter Bunny for all Ichigo cared.

The teen got up out of the futon and slipped his boxers back on. Then he slipped out of the room and back to the guest room where he put on the rest of his clothes. He was standing by the front door putting his shoes on when he heard the voice from behind him. "Going somewhere Kurosaki?" Byakuya's dull baritone asked.

"Yeah, to hell if I don't pray," was Ichi's smart-aleck remark.

"I really don't think the lack of prayer is going to be what sends you to hell." Byakuya stated.

"In that case, we're both going to hell then. It takes two to tango, you know."

"I was not referring to that either."

"Then what exactly are you referring to then, seeing as how you don't know shit about me to warrant your assumption of my eternal destination."

Byakuya rose one ink black eyebrow. "I never claimed to know anything about you. I just said lack of prayer will not be what wins you a trip to Hades."

"Oh shove it, Byakuya; I don't have time for this."

"In order to lack time for one thing, you must be scheduled to attend another. You wouldn't by chance be going home for Christmas Eve would you? If so I could give you a ride."

"No thank you."

"Then can I offer you a ride somewhere else, a friend's house maybe? Or, you're welcome to stay here."

"I don't need a ride, and I'm not staying here."

"Ichigo, I don't think it would be wise for you to go out in this weather. It's nearly twenty below and you'd catch your death of a cold."

"As if you care," Ichigo growled.

"I thought it was pretty obvious that I do care, considering…"

"Considering what?" Ichigo cut in. "Considering the fact that you brought me home and gave me a free meal? That's charity work, something for your own karma, not caring. Or were you referring to me letting you fuck me into the mattress last night? Hate to break it to you Byakuya, that's not caring. That's sex. Loveless fucking sex."

"Then what do you consider to be caring, Kurosaki? Because apparently nothing I do is right to you?"

"What's caring, hmm, maybe talking me out of spreading my legs for you? I was so obviously not in my right fucking mind when I asked you to, or were you too damn horny to even give a fuck?"

"If memory recall, I tried to avoid going through with it, you're the one who insisted that if it wasn't me you'd find someone else."

"Then why not try holding me down until I gave up on that idea, or if failing at that, how about holding me afterward while I was crying my eyes out over losing my virginity in a loveless fucking tryst."

"Who ever said it was a loveless tryst? Is it really so difficult to realize that I just may do love you? Why else would I put up with your nonsense? Why else would I refuse to let you leave the program? I wouldn't give a flying fuck if anyone else wanted to leave, but it's you that I've been trying to hold on to, you that I want more than anyone else to save. Because it's you that I fell in love with at fist sight."

"No, the reason you want to save me is so you'll look good the next time you're on stupid daytime television talking about your next to perfect success rate. Wouldn't it look fucking great if you managed to save the one that everyone else had given up on? You're not doing this for me. You're doing this for yourself. Just like you took my virginity last night, not because I asked you to, but because you wanted to. Now you claim to love me to clear your own conscience for fucking a virgin. You're nothing but a selfish bastard looking out for himself," Ichigo said all thins in a snippy tone before getting up and storming out of the house, hoping Byakuya didn't notice his wincing at making such sudden movements. He stood outside in the could December air, vaguely wondering if Byakuya was going to follow him, but deciding he didn't give a damn if he did.

Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket he set a brisk pace towards the Community Center. On the way he cut through the park and picked a handful of snow drop flowers. He found an empty glass bottle and put the flowers inside it. When he reached a familiar corner across the street from the Community Center, he placed the tribute down. He closed his eyes and could almost hear laughter and a girl's voice saying, "Thanks Ichigo."

::-::-::

"You're going to catch your death of a cold, you know."

"What do you care?"

"I'd whether not have this discussion again."

"Then why are you here?"

"To remind you that your friends are graduating from the Program tonight and I'm sure they'd like to see you there."

Silence.

"You know that I wasn't deceiving you, or just trying to quell my own conscience when I said I fell in love with you at first sight. I admit that I shouldn't have let things go as far as they did last night, but I have no regrets."

More silence, and then, "Why didn't you come after me?"

"I didn't think you wanted me to."

"Since when do you care what I want?"

"Since it's not something hazardous to you future. Your wanting to drop out of the Program set you back on making an important change in your life. I couldn't let you do that. Your wanting to not attend school set you back in obtaining a good education. I couldn't allow that. You wanting to leave my house this morning wasn't going to hurt your future at all."

"What if I had never left the program and none of this had happened? What were you going to do about this love at first thing then?"

"I don't really know. I suppose I would have made some excuse to keep you coming around the Center, maybe ask you to volunteer for something or other. Maybe I would have let you go."

"What are you going to do now?"

"Right now I'm going to take you into the Center and get you out of the cold. And then we are going to watch your friends graduate from the Program. After that depends on rather I can get you to stick around."

"And if I leave?"

"If you leave then so be it, for now. Runaway all you want, but I'm not giving up on you."


	6. Repeating Mistakes

Edited on 7/13/2010

* * *

**Chapter 5: Repeating Mistakes**

There was about eight teens in the room. It was early morning on January second and Ichigo wasn't sure if he wanted to be there or not.

"Hello everyone, my name is Jyushiro Ukitake and I'm one of the founders and former director of the Change of Hearts program. I want to thank you all for putting forth the effort to attend this meeting. Just by coming here today you all show you're ready and willing to do whatever it takes to return home. Before we start I would like to you all some brief history on the Change of Hearts program."

Ichigo rolled his eyes and tuned out the rest of the welcoming speech. It was the same thing every time, and he could almost recant it verbatim. He grumbled, not sure why he had let Byakuya talk him into rejoining this stupid program again. Apparently neither of them had learned anything from his past failures.

"Today we're going to focus on getting to the roots of why you're here in the first place."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow and turned his attention to the front of the room, this topic usually fell to the second meeting since the first meeting was just an introduction. This was a new way of doing things.

"Kurosaki, would you like to share with us why you're here?" Ukitake had taken his seat and it was now Kyouraku talking.

Ichigo sighed, he should have known this was coming. "Well I guess I can't keep using anger as my excuse now can I?" Ichigo said. Kyouraku said nothing, but gave a look prompting Ichi to continue. "If you want to know why I left my house, then sorry but I'm not ready to tell that. But if you're asking why I'm here, sitting in this room that I've already walked out of at least five times before then I guess the answer is, I'm sick of being a failure and it's time to prove to myself that I'm worth more."

Shunsui nodded and didn't push the issue, this was more than Ichigo had ever revealed before. Instead he turned his attention to a boy named Toshiro and asked him the same question.

::-::-::

Ichigo stood outside the Community Center, leaning against the wall, and sipping on a cup of hot chocolate. The weather was getting colder and his thin clothing wasn't making him any warmer. His sister Yuzu had bought him a new winter coat for Christmas and had delivered it to the Center for him to get. By then the weather was so bad, Ichigo would have done anything just short of murder in exchange for a new coat, so he'd put his stubborn pride aside and accepted the gift. But he had stupidly left the coat in Byakuya's car earlier that day, and now he was freezing his butt off.

He tried to gather as much warmth as he could from the small cup of hot chocolate in his hand, but it was really no help. He could have gone back inside the Center, but he opted not to because there was a certain crowd of people he was trying to avoid at the moment. So that left him shivering out in the cold, waiting for pneumonia to set in.

"Kurosaki," a familiar baritone voice broke him from his thoughts, "Come." Byakuya stated before strolling off towards his car, positive Ichigo would follow. Ichi quickly downed the rest of his drink and tossed the cup in a near by trash bin, before trailing after the man. He knew from experience that if he didn't come when Byakuya told him to then the older male had no qualms with leaving him behind.

Ichigo slid in to the passenger seat of Byakuya's shiny black Mercedes, sighing in relief when he realized the heat was already on and the seat was warm. This was why he'd forgotten his coat earlier. The car had such a good heating system that Ichigo had forgotten that the air outside didn't feel as good.

The moment Ichi closed his door and pulled on his seat belt Byakuya pulled out of the parking lot at a speed just barely within the speed limit. It had surprised Ichigo when he'd first realized how fast Byakuya liked to drive. On the surface the Kuchiki seemed to be a decent law abiding citizen and stickler for all the rules even the driving ones, but really he was a decent law abiding citizen who didn't give a flying Frisbee for driving rules. Speed was his thing.

"Where are we going?" Ichigo asked once he noticed Byakuya wasn't aiming them towards his house. He couldn't be taking Ichigo to school, seeing as how Winter Vacation went for another two days, and Ichigo couldn't think of any other possible places they could be headed in this direction.

"I'm taking you to your new job," Byakuya said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What new job?" Ichigo asked shocked. "I haven't put in any applications anywhere."

"I took care of that for you. Your boss is an old friend of mine; he's doing me a favor."

"Where is it?"

"You'll see."

"What will I have to do?"

"You'll see."

"What skills are required?"

"Kurosaki, we could play this game for the remainder of the ride, or you could just wait and see."

Ichigo pouted rather childishly, before sighing and looking out the window. After a while he began fiddling with the dial on the radio, earning him a look from Byakuya, but he just rolled his eyes and continued playing with it, jumping between two different stations that played to completely different types of songs.

"We're here." Byakuya stated bringing the car to a stop outside of a small building with a sign that said Urahara's Shoppe.

Ichigo raised one eyebrow; he recognized this shop. "Isn't this a candy store," he said, already knowing the answer. He had been here multiple times before, but his visits had stopped around the time he'd left home the first time. "Old hat and clogs run this place."

"Hat and clogs?" Byakuya inquired. "I suppose that would be an apt nickname for him, but I'm sure he prefers to go by his name, Kisuke Urahara."

"Whatever," Ichigo grumbled, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the car door this time remembering to grab his coat before getting out. He stood before the old candy store with a slight frown on his face; he'd never thought he would be coming back here, not since…

"Are you coming, Kurosaki?" Byakuya asked striding towards the entrance to the shop. Ichigo said nothing, just followed him into the building.

The shop was as he remembered. A simple little candy store with goods displayed plainly on tables for the customers to browse. The more popular candy had nicer displays near the front of the store, and the expensive imported sweets were kept behind the counter. Behind said counter, was the store owner himself, Kisuke Urahara, in his usual striped green hat, traditional style clothing, and a paper fan.

"Well if it isn't my old buddy, Byakuya." Urahara said by way of greeting. "And that must be my new employee standing there with the permanent scowl on his face, pleasure to have you back Kurosaki-kun."

Urahara only laughed at the death glare Ichigo shot his way.

"When does Kurosaki's shift end?" Byakuya inquired.

"Shop closes at eight, Mister Frowny face over there is free to leave at nine, once we finish shelving the new shipment."

Byakuya nodded. "I'll be here to get him at eight-thirty." He turned to make his departure from the shop.

"Wait a second; you're not leaving me here," Ichigo said as Byakuya tried to pass him.

"I don't see why not," the director of the Change of Hearts program replied. "It is a Program requirement for you to have a legal source of income. Seeing as how your last job didn't work out, I see no reason for you not to start here. I'll be back for you later, Kurosaki, and I expect a good report." Ichigo could do nothing but stare in shock as the other left.

::-::-::

Weeks passed and routines began to form. Ichigo worked almost everyday at Urahara's, except the days when he had Program meetings at the Community Center. Once school started back he went to classes during the day, then he had two hours after school for homework, he worked at the candy store until eight, and Byakuya picked him up at closing. Ichigo all but lived with Byakuya now, and though they hadn't had sex after the first time, when Ichigo had a bad night's sleep and needed company, Byakuya always welcomed him into his bed, and even kissed him whenever he asked him to. Ichigo wasn't sure if they were lovers, boyfriends, or any of that he just knew he was content in the other's arms.

He had also taken up sparring in both hand to hand combat and sword play at the Center as ways to channel anger; he had quite the quick temper. After receiving his first pay check from hat and clogs Byakuya required him to be enrolled into a personal finance class. The nobleman had opened up a bank account for Ichigo, helped him set a budget, and monitored his spending habits. Not that Ichigo actually spent much money. Byakuya provided all his meals, his transportation, and other basic necessities. All Ichi had to pay for was the random luxury item or two.

As things fell into a working pattern, Ichigo couldn't have been happier. In just over a week he would be graduating the program and he was sure that when he returned home this time, he would be able to stay. He had opened up more and more in the Change of Hearts meeting, never revealing the true roots of his situation, but revealing enough that they were able to help him get over the issues. The more time Ichigo spent at the Center the closer he became with Shunsui and Ukitake. He spent a lot of time with them, because Byakuya always had them around.

Ichigo still wasn't ready to admit it to anyone else, but he held the truth in his heart ;he was completely and utterly in love with Byakuya. He wasn't sure how it happened, but it had and he didn't want it any differently. He loved Byakuya, and he knew the other loved him as well, Ichigo just wasn't ready to admit it. Ichigo felt that nothing could destroy his happiness at the moment.

Unfortunately that nothing came much too soon.

It was after school one day and Ichigo was at the Community Center helping talking with Ukitake about random things, most of it pertaining to the Program, some of it not. "Ichigo, did I ever show you a picture of Kaien?"

Ichi shook is held.

"I thought I would have by now, you're his splitting image save for the hair."

"Really?"

"Uh huh," Ukitake replied riffling through his pockets until he pulled out an old leather wallet, he opened it and revealed a picture of a man that could have been Ichigo's twin, only he had black hair. "It's no wonder Byakuya is so attached to you. Kaien had been his first love. They were together for years until Kaien died and after that he feared he'd lost the ability to ever love again. I guess he sees you as some sort of replacement for his lost lover."

Ichigo wasn't sure why his heart was suddenly hurting so bad. It felt like all the happiness he had been building over the last few weeks had just shattered. He loved Byakuya, but if he was just being used as Kaien's replacement, then it was ill placed affection. He tried to keep a smile on his face as he looked up from the picture. "I have to go," he said silently, getting up and strolling casually out of the room before Ukitake could respond. He tried to emit an air of calmness, but so many different emotions were flooding through him right now, the main one being betrayal. Byakuya didn't love him; he was just a replacement for a long ago lost lover.

Ichigo stumbled out of the side exit of the Center and into the alley way where he used to hang out when the weather was warmer. Leaning his back against the stone wall and closing his yes he tried to gain control of his rampaging emotions. It wasn't like he and Byakuya had promised themselves to each other, they had only slept together once and had shared a few innocent kisses. That wasn't a big deal.

So why was his heart hurting like it was the end of the world?

"Well if it isn't the little Strawberry Fruitcake." A cruel voice cut through Ichigo's thoughts, causing him to open his eyes and see who had joined him in the alleyway.

"Grimmjow," he growled. Before him stood a teen about his age, with sky blue hair, azure eyes, a quick temper, and a mouth that was going to get him killed. He was flanked by his usual gang, Ulquiorra the emo wonder, Nnorita the beanstalk and Yammy the sumo sized pea brain. Ichigo had gotten into more fights than one could count with this crew, and there were still some hard feelings between them. "What do you want?" Ichi hissed wondering how his good day had taken such a nose dive.

"What, can't a couple of old friends say hi to each other?"

Ichigo glared at the blue haired thug. "You know damn well you were never any friend of mine. Now I'm already having a bad day, so I advice you to back the hell off."

"What? Your lover boy ain't fucking you hard enough? Do you need some special attention?"

An evil smirk spread across Ichigo's face. "Yeah, I need some special attention. Why don't you come give it to me?" In a flash he swung his fist around connecting it hard with Grimmjow's jaw. Then all hell broke loose.

::-::-::

"_You're an idiot, you know that right?"_

"_Yeah, I know."_

"_If you know, then why don't you do something about it?"_

"_I would if I could, but I can't be any other way."_

"_Damn it Ichigo, why are you doing this to yourself? Don't you see what you're going to lose if you die out here in these streets? Don't repeat my mistakes."_

"_I'm not; I'm making my own mistakes."_

"_Are you sure, because yout mistakes look damn near identical to mine?"_

"_There's a difference. Your mistakes didn't include falling in love."_

"_All the more reason why you should stop this."_

"_I can't; it hurts too much."_

"_Pain's a part of it Ichigo; you know that. You just have to take it like a man."_

_Mumbled words barely heard, "…now turn back to a kid again."_

"_What was that?"_

"_It's a song that says 'I've become a man from and kid, now turn back to a kid again.'"_

"_Why would you want to do that?"_

"_When you're a kid, none of this hurts as bad, and your mistakes aren't your own."_

_Sigh. "You're a big idiot, you know that right?"_

"_Yeah, Rukia, I know."_

::-::-::

"Ichigo wake up. Please wake up. Don't leave me. Please don't go. I love you so much. Please wake up."


	7. Regretting Decisions

Edited on 7/13/2010

* * *

**Chapter Six: Regretting Decisions**

"I had only been twelve years old the first time I met her. The memory is vague, close to being forgotten, but I can recount the important details. I was in the park after school. A bunch of other kids had been picking on me about my hair color. I hadn't known whether I more wanted to break down crying, or kick their butts from here to Tupelo (which is in Mississippi). Just when I was about to act on the latter thought and attack the boys a warm hand a fell on my shoulder and held me back. I turned to yell out the person holding on to me, but was surprised to find a girl standing there already busy telling off the jerks that had been picking on me. I could only watch in shocked awe as she called them every kind of stupid in the book and then some. The other boys had decided picking on me wasn't worth dealing with this chick's mouth and made their retreat. The girl turned and smiled at me, but before anything could be said, someone called the girl's name and she ran away sending only a wave over her shoulder. I didn't see her again after that for three years.

"People see homeless folks and street kids all the time. They're just a part of society and go unnoticed by most folks. I guess if I hadn't been looking for a fight that day I never would have met her again. The way it happened was I wasn't too far from the Community Center and I was facing off this gang of jerks, and just like before when I was about to kick their asses a hand fell on my shoulder and held me back. I turned and found this girl telling the jerks to take a hike and to my surprised they actually did leave. This time I was angry with the girl that had interfered; I'd been itching for a fight all day and she'd come along and ruined it. Before I could tell her off she made some comment about thanking her later and disappeared. When I went home that night, still steaming over losing my chance at having a good fight, I sat on the couch a flipped on the TV. I stopped on the news channel when I saw a familiar face flash across the screen. The main guy I had been about to fight had gotten arrested later that day for the illegal possession of a fire arm. It made me wonder if he had it when I was picking fights. If I had gotten into it with him would he had shot me?

"Rukia had been looking out for me from the very beginning.

"I met her again at the Community Center not long after that. For the record I did thank her for keeping me from picking the wrong fight that day. We struck up conversation and actually got along pretty well. She was a bit of a tomboy despite her girly portrayal. It wasn't until I met up and hung out with her a few more times that I learned she was a street kid.

"I'm a pretty open minded person and kind of curious by nature. So I asked Rukia what had prompted her to head for the streets. Turns out her parents had died when she was young and her older sister was trying to raise her single-handedly. Despite what her sister said, Rukia never really felt wanted in her house. She hadn't meant to become a street kid; it had started with her not wanting to spend time at home. Eventually she had stopped going home all together for a while, when she finally did decide to go back, there was no home waiting for her. The house was for rent and her sister had just vanished.

"I started spending more and more time with Rukia and less time at home. When Rukia realized what I was doing she made me go back. She said street life wasn't for me. Unlike her, I had a home to return to. One day I was in town when I saw an older girl that looked a lot like Rukia. Figuring it might be the elusive older sister, I approached her and turns out I was right. Rukia's sister admitted to trying to abandon her, but now she regretted it and wanted Rukia to come back home with her. I thought Rukia would be happy to learn that she had a home to go back to now, but to my shock Rukia refused to leave the streets. She said that's where she belonged. I got her in the program a couple of times, but it never worked. Rukia remained a street kid, through and through.

"I remember walking down the streets and hearing Rukia calling my name. Or sitting in my room and hearing her voice outside the window. I'm not sure when, but I began to think of Rukia's voice as the voice of the streets, and despite all her insistence that the streets were not where I belonged, I always could hear her calling to me. I still hear her calling to this day.

"After realizing Rukia was always trying to look out for me, I decided I should return the favor. We became almost a family out there, running the streets together, looking out for one another, only thing was at night I would go home to my family and Rukia had no where to go.

"I was at home having dinner with dad and the girls when it happened. Or maybe we were watching TV together. Or I might have been up in my room all alone. I don't really know, and it's not really important. What is important is that I was nice and warm in my family home instead of out on the streets with Rukia when she really needed me the most. I had sworn to look out for her, to have her back, to protect her. I had sworn, and I had failed.

"After Rukia's funeral I was sitting in my room by the window when I heard her voice calling me. You see, hers was the voice of the streets. And it remains so. I left the house and became a street kid that day.

"It's Rukia's voice that calls me, keeping me from going home. Yet it's also her voice that calls me an idiot every time I fail the program. And her voice that keeps telling me I don't belong on the streets, that unlike her I have a home to go to.

"I think it's time I went home."


	8. Making Amends

Edited on 7/13/2010

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Making Amends**

There was a sterile feel to the stark white room, one that could only be associated to hospitals and laboratories. Everything around was white and sterile down to the crisp sheets on the bed and the tiles of the floor. The smell of cleaners and disinfectants barely masked the scent of illness and death in the air. The bright phosphorescent lighting was a pain to sensitive eyes, and the beeping and whirring of machines were not conducive to the healing of a headache. Despite the fact that his father ran a clinic, Ichigo Kurosaki despised hospitals.

"Well you seem to be in fine health," the doctor, a woman named Unohana, said. "You're free to leave today the moment someone signs you out."

"Will it be ok if I signed him out, Retsu?" Byakuya asked from his seat in the chair beside the bed Ichigo was sitting on.

"Unfortunately not, Byakuya," Unohana said. "Kurosaki must be signed out by a parent or legal guardian."

"But you must understand the circumstances-"

"I already called my dad," Ichigo cut the man off; "He's on his way."

"Kurosaki?" Byakuya looked questioningly at the boy.

"It's time I went home," Ichigo said simply.

::-::-::-::

"Ichi-nii!" Yuzu screamed in excitement, "Welcome home Ichi-nii! It's so good to have you back!"

Ichigo smiled at his little sister. "It's good to be home."

Yuzu threw herself into her brother's arms. "I'm cooking all your favorite things for dinner. We have so much to catch up on." She enthusiastically tugged her brother's arm leading him into the house, only to stop right inside the entrance. "You are home to stay this time, right?"

Ichigo's smile was sweet, but didn't touch his eyes. "Yeah, I'm here to stay."

::-::-::-::

"What no two week notice, Kurosaki-kun?" Urahara asked. "Just going to leave like this."

Ichigo shrugged. "I don't need the job anymore."

"Really," Kisuke lowered his fan and fixed Ichigo with a hard look. "From where I'm sitting it looks to me like you're running away."

"I said I don't need the job anymore," Ichigo spat before turning and stalking towards the exit of the small candy store.

"You know cutting ties isn't going to make things any better."

Ichigo ignored the comment as he slipped out onto the cold unforgiving streets.

::-::-::-::

"Hey Ichigo, I'm teaching a martial arts lesson at the Community Center after school today, care to come help out?" Tatsuki asked. Ichigo, Tatsuki, Chad, Ordihime, Ishida, and a couple of their other friends were sitting in the back of the classroom at lunch time about weeks after Ichigo had returned home.

Ichigo tried to keep his voice cool and detached as he busied himself with opening his juice box. "Um, I promised Karin I'd help her with her homework today, sorry."

"No big, maybe next week?"

"Uh, next week I'll be spending the day with Yuzu. The girls want to make up for lost time." Valid excuses, but still excuses and lies.

A look seemed to pass between Ichigo's friends. "Will you be busy with them Wednesday?" Ishida asked.

"I don't think so, why?"

"Because there's an archery contest at the Community Center and I wanted you to go with me."

"Oh, uh, I think dad wanted me to help out at the clinic Wednesday."

Another look passes between the group. "That's it, I'm not buying it," Keigo declared.

"Nor I," Mizuiro agreed.

Chad shook his head to say he agreed with them as well.

"Ichigo," Ordihime said, "You know you can talk to us if there's something wrong."

"What makes you think something is wrong?" Ichigo asked nonchalantly.

"Other than the fact that you've been avoiding the Community Center like the plague nothing at all."

"I have not been avoiding the Center. I've just been busy that's all."

None of his friends looked like they believed him.

::-::-::-::

Ichigo lied on his bed in his room staring out the window at a patch of blue sky barely visible behind the clusters of clouds. The clock on his wall ticked the seconds, minutes, and hours away until he no longer felt a sense of time, just a suspension in space, an existence that wasn't complete. His heart beat in his chest and he wondered how it was possible to be alive while feeling so much pain. He wanted to rip the beating organ out of his chest and throw it from the window; it would feel far less painful than letting the ache it caused continue.

Ichi pulled his eyes away from the window and allowed them to fall close. His face played like a silent film in his mind. Moments spent together, small smiles, concealed laughs, amusement, anger, exasperation, gun metal grey eyes, hair spun from darkness, chiseled features; all things he wanted to forget.

He pulled his pillow over his face. Words played through his head like a broken record. Whispered promises, sweet declarations, speeches, stories, lies, a dull baritone voice that washed over him like silk; he just wanted to forget.

Why was it so easy to love him like a fool? Why was it so hard to let him go?

He just wanted to forget him. Forget all the time they spent together, the days in his car, the nights in his home, the time at the center, dinner, shopping, dating, sleeping; every second of everyday spent with him or waiting for his return, he wanted to forget it all.

He'd been the one to leave, yet he would give anything to be back with him, lies or not, whether he was a replacement for a dead lover or not, he needed him.

"Ichi-nii there's someone here to see you." Yuzu's voice cut through his thoughts.

Ichigo sighed and pushed himself up from the bed, letting his blanket of depression slip from his shoulders and stay behind to await his return. Padding across the floor he exited the room and made for the stairs. "Ichi-nii!" Yuzu called up again.

"I'm coming, hold your hor- oh." Words escaped Ichigo as he saw who was waiting for him in the living room, sitting with Yuzu and Isshin as if he belonged there among Ichi's family.

Seeing Byakuya in person hurt more that letting his depression drag him off to remembered moments. The director of the Change of Hearts Program sat with the poise and air of decorum of a prince, his ink black hair pulled back away from his face save for a few strands that fell around his eyes contrasting against his pale cheek and making his lightning eyes stand out all the more furiously.

"Byakuya," Ichigo whispered softly the name he hadn't allow himself to say in the three weeks since his departure of the man's company; his heart cried and leaped in his chest begging him to run into those arms that he'd missed so much. Pleading for him to kiss those thin lips and forget he was ever angry.

"Kurosaki," Byakuya stood from his seat on the couch as took a step towards Ichigo.

Ichigo was melting from the man's mere presence and forgetting all past woes at the sound of his voice. It took all of his self control to school his features into a hard look and ask coldly, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you," Byakuya said, taking no notice to the anger Ichi was forcefully emitting. "There seems to have been a misunderstanding and I've come to clear it up."

"A misunderstanding," Ichigo raised one eyebrow at the statement. "Not at all, I believe I understood everything just find."

"Jyushiro was out of line in saying what he did and-"

"How so? He was speaking the truth wasn't he? I saw the picture, Byakuya, the resemblance really is uncanny."

"Ichigo you must believe me when I say-"

"I don't want to hear it Byakuya! I don't care anymore, so save your breath."

"Hear me out Ichigo, I-"

"I said I don't want to hear it! I'm done letting you play with my feelings. I'm done causing myself grief over this. I'm not playing along with your games anymore. I'm done being his replacement."

"I never once thought of you as a replacement for Kaien!" It was such an out of character thing for Byakuya to raise his voice that it silenced anything more Ichigo had to say. "I never once thought of you as his replacement," Byakuya said again. "Admittedly it was your resemblance to him that initially caught my interest, but not in a good way. You drug up memories I'd whether forgotten. You made fresh pain I thought I'd gotten over. I wanted to push you as far away from me as possible. I thought you the devil incarnate sent to put me in my own personal hell.

"But then I started watching you and how you behaved with you friends and all my preconceptions of you vanished. You were nothing like Kaien and at the same time so much like him I couldn't understand it. It was like all the good traits in Kaien had been taken and put in you, but you added a fire to it, powerful, dangerous, and beautiful. The more I watched you the more I realized that you weren't Kaien and the more I began to fall for you. I fell for you Ichigo Kurosaki, not because you look like Kaien, not because you acted like him, but because you had such a kind and caring heart, the ingrained will to protect all who were close to you and disregard your own self to do so, you had patience and temperance among friends, but still burned with a fire unlike any other. Once I realized I was falling for you, I never for a second thought of you as Kaien's replacement. Kaien is dead, I loved him first that is true, but I love you now Ichigo and I love you more."


	9. Loving Ever After

Last chapter people, I'll like to thank all my readers for sticking with me thus far and give special kudos to my reviewers for giving me the motivation I needed to continue. I really wish I could have kept this story going a bit longer, but I felt that this would be the best place for it to end. Again thank you all for reading, leave me a review to let me know what you thought of it.

~Itami

* * *

Chapter Eight: Loving Ever After

Previously in Change of Hearts:

"_I never once thought of you as a replacement for Kaien!" It was such an out of character thing for Byakuya to raise his voice that it silenced anything more Ichigo had to say. "I never once thought of you as his replacement." Byakuya said again, "Admittedly it was you resemblance to him that initially caught my interest, but not in a good way. You drug up memories I'd rather forgotten. You made fresh pain I thought I'd gotten over. I wanted to push you as far away from me as possible. I thought you the devil incarnate sent to put me in my own personal hell. But then I started watching you and how you behaved with you friends and all my preconceptions of you vanished. You were nothing like Kaien and at the same time so much like him I couldn't understand. It was like all the good traits in Kaien had been taken and put in you, but you added a fire to it, powerful, dangerous, and beautiful. The more I watched you the more I realized that you weren't Kaien and the more I began to fall for you. I fell for you Ichigo Kurosaki, not because you look like Kaien, not because you acted like him, but because you had such a kind and caring heart, the ingrained will to protect all who were close to you and disregard your own self to do so, you had patience and temperance among friends, but still burned with a fire unlike any other. Once I realized I was falling for you, I never for a second thought of you as Kaien's replacement. Kaien is dead, I loved him first that is true, but I love you now Ichigo and I love you more."_

Ichigo was melting. Byakuya's words caused him to flush a bright crimson and just melt into a big puddle of goo right there on the living room floor in front of his entire family. He didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to feel. All he could do was stand there feeling like a fool staring into Byakuya's hard determined eyes, "I- I uh."

"Please Ichigo," Byakuya said closing the distance between the two of them and gently caressing Ichigo's cheek, "If you're going to hate me, hate me for loving you too much. If you're going to leave me, leave me for needing you too much. If you want to catch an attitude and kick me out, do because you know that there's no other way to make me leave. Make it clear to me your reasons if you want me gone, for otherwise I will spend forever chasing after you if there's even the smallest reason to think you'd ever take me back. I would never do anything to hurt you Ichigo; I would rather die first. If my staying by your side will cause you pain then I'll leave in a heartbeat no matter how much it'll kill me to do so. But if the only reason you're pushing me away is because of something that I didn't even say, then you'll have to lock me up before I ever falter in my love for you and even then my love will continue. What others say shouldn't matter Ichigo. Know that I love you and that will never change. I love you Ichigo Kurosaki, not some phantom of a dead lover. So please, please say you love me too. Please say you need me as much as I need you. Please tell me to never leave your side. Please."

Such heartfelt emotions were reflecting in Byakuya's lighting eyes. His eyes were like black holes, pulling Ichigo in and allowing him no escape. His heart was a black hole, for Ichigo would never escape it now that he had fallen in. Yet still he was hesitant. He didn't feel worthy of the love and devotion Byakuya was offering him. He didn't deserve this man.

As if reading the thoughts in his eyes, what Byakuya said next chased away all hesitations, "All those fears and insecurities you feel, allow me to allow me to chase them away; I'll make sure they never come back. All the demons that haunt you, allow me to fight them; I'll make sure they never bother you again. All those thoughts that whisper you're not good enough and you don't deserve, allow me to confront them; I'll call them a bold face lie. Ichigo let me be you strength when you are weak. Let me be your courage when you are afraid. I'll be your friend when you are alone. I'll be your voice when you don't know what to say. I'll be your light in the darkness. I'll be your guide when you loose your way. I'll be the fire that warms you when you are cold. I'll be the medicine to take away your pain. I'll be all of this for you; as you are all of this for me. Just let me love you Ichigo; you above all else are worthy of my love."

"Byakuya," Ichigo's voice trembled and then he lost all strength and collapsed into the other's hold, "Byakuya I'm so sorry. I never want you to leave me, I need you so much. Please stay with me, I won't push you away again; I promise." Ichigo had no clue as to when he'd lowered himself to being such a weak needy being, but that didn't matter to him as he clung to Byakuya and let tears he didn't even know was there spill from his chocolate colored eyes."

"Shh, Ichi, my Ichi, don't cry, I'm here." Byakuya ran a soothing hand up and down his back.

"Byakuya," Ichigo said in a low voice, "I love you so much."

"I love you too Ichigo."

Ichi pulled back a little and peered into Byakuya's gunmetal grey eyes, "Byakuya," he said softly, "kiss me."

The man's lips were light against his own, gentle and loving, yet the ignited a fire deep within Ichigo and he knew that no matter what happened to him everything would be right in the world as long as this man was by his side.

"Ah, Misaki out little Ichigo has grown up so much." Isshin's loud voice cut through the world that Ichigo and Byakuya had drifted into and reminded them that they had an audience. Ichigo blushed bright red at the sight of his sisters watching them, Yuzu looking as if she was going to explode with joy and Karin as if she was going to be sick from the mushiness of the scene. Isshin was clinging to the annoyingly large poster of his wife on the wall with tears spilling from his eyes. He pulled away from the poster and with a comically serious expression turned to them, "Byakuya we need to talk."

_**::-::-::-::**_

"Oi, Ichi your lover boy is here!" Karin's voice called up the stairs.

"I'm coming!" Ichigo called back, grabbing his jacket and bounding down the steps.

A large smile spread across the teen's face when he saw the man waiting for him by the entrance it took all his self control not to rush over and kiss him senseless; Byakuya had set rules of no kissing in the Kurosaki house or anywhere else they might be seen by Isshin or the girls, so Ichigo would have to wait until they were out in the car before he could greet his lover the way he longed to. "Hey Byakuya," He said pulling on his shoes, "Ready to go?"

Byakuya nodded.

"Guys I'm gone, see ya tomorrow!" Ichigo called to his family before rushing out the door.

As soon as the two of them were in the car with the door closed Ichigo all but jumped across the median and pressed his lips against Byakuya's. Byakuya kissed him back hungrily and the two of them stayed like that until the needed to come for air.

"Seatbelt," Byakuya demanded as Ichigo fell back into his own seat. Ichigo silently complied as his thoughts remained on that mind blowing kiss.

_**::-::-::-::**_

"…just by being here today you've all have taken the first step in getting off the streets." Jyushiro smiled, "Now let's all welcome Mr. Ichigo Kurosaki who will tell you of his experiences in the Change of Hearts Program."

There was only five teens in this group and they all clapped half heartedly as Ichigo too Ukitake's place in the front of the room. Ichigo smiled at the group, "I know you're all thinking that this program is just a waste of time and not too long ago I would have agreed with you." He started by saying, "I must have set the record for the number of times a person can fail this program. I went through more times than one could count and always ended up back on the streets afterward, I thought this was the most useless program in history, but even as I thought it I knew I was wrong. See the program only works as well as you allow it to. It's really your on resolve to get off the streets that allows it to work, this Program really only help to smooth out the bumps along the way. I never had much resolve to get off the streets, because I felt that that's where I belonged. You see someone very important to me…"


End file.
